September 2, 2019: Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga leapfrogs Shahid Afridi to become the leading wicket-taker in T20Is.
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| Lasith Malinga becomes the leading wicket-taker in T20Is Picture Courtesy © ICC |
Lasith Malinga Leapfrogs Shahid Afridi To Become Leading wicket-taker In T20Is
In the 1st T20I of the series, Lasith Malinga broke the record of Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi to become the leading wicket-taker in T20Is. He achieved this feat against New Zealand last night(September 1) in Pallekele Cricket Stadium, Pallekele
Malinga-led Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to bat 1st. The hosts posted 174/5 in 20 overs. Opener batsman Kusal Mendis starred with 53 balls 79. He struck eight 4s and two 6s during his blistering knock. For New Zealand, Tim Southee, the stand-in skipper was the pick of the bowlers. He bowled four overs for 20 runs and picked up two wickets.
Lasith Malinga, the man with a golden arm, opened the bowling for the home side. He needed two more wickets to become the leading wicket-taker in T20Is. In the very first over of the second inning, he cleaned up Colin Munro with a perfect inswinging yorker to level the record for most wickets in T20Is. He then brought himself back into the attack when the visitors were making a comeback in the game. He clean bowled De Grandhomme (44 off 28 balls) with another perfect Yorker. De Grandhomme was his 99th scalp in T20Is, most by any bowler in the history of T20Is. He bowled four overs, Conceded 23 runs and picked up two crucial wickets. Although, he could not save his side from the loss. Ross Taylor shined with the bat for Kiwis. He smashed 48 runs off just 29 balls to help his team register a five-wicket win in the 1st match of the series.
List Of Leading Wicket-takers In T20Is
With Lasith Malinga taking two wickets in the first match of the series against New Zealand, he became the leading wicket-taker in T20Is. Here are the top 5 leading wicket-takers in T20Is so far
- LASITH MALINGA 99
- SHAHID AFRIDI 98
- SHAKIB UL HASSAN 88
- UMAR GUL 85
- SAEED AJMAL 85
Lasith Malinga emerged as one of the best fast bowlers in the last decade. His slinging action and accurate yorkers gave him fame at the start of his career. He has led the Sri Lankan bowling attack very well. His ability to bowl yorkers with the new and old ball made his one of the difficult bowler of his era. He had quitted Test cricket, but, he is optimistic about playing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. So, it's quite easy to say that he will continue to play T20Is. Next 3 or four years will take his tally of most wickets in T20Is to a new high. Only Shakib Ul Hassan among the active players is following him with 88 scalps in T20Is. Of course, records are made to be broken, but it will take some effort to break the record of Sri Lankan legend.
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Sri Lanka vs New Zealand
